Walsh advances with 36-22 win over Caliche in first-round of 8-man state playoffs

Eagles to host Akron in state quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 10

ByDick Peecher The Lamar Ledger

Posted:
11/06/2012 10:15:38 AM MST

WALSH -- 34 Lead - it's a popular play and the bread and butter for the Walsh High School football team's ground attack.

The Caliche Buffaloes saw plenty of it led by the Eagles' two-pronged running attack in seniors Tyler Sharpe and Terrell Stafford.

In a first-round game of the 8-man state playoffs, Walsh put Caliche away 36-22 on Saturday, Nov. 3.

Each team was able to put points on the scoreboard, as No. 6 seed Walsh had to fight off a tough No. 11 seed Caliche team that plays in the state's toughest 8-man conference, the Plains League.

Caliche took the opening kickoff to their own 30 and scored six plays later aided by a personal foul penalty against Walsh to their advantage.

The Buffaloes overcame a snap over the quarterback's head to complete a 15-yard TD pass in a four-receiver set, when quarterback Mitch Davidson hit Dakota Kingsley for the opening score. When the conversion run failed, Caliche had a 6-0 lead with 9:22 showing in the opening quarter of play.

Walsh answered immediately, using their own eight-play drive behind the running of Sharpe and Chase Mundell. Stafford missed the opening quarter due to a disciplinary issue. It was Mundell who bolted over from 12-yards out to knot things at 6-6, when the Eagles' conversion run failed as well.

The two teams traded fumbles, and Caliche was in business when they recovered the ball on the Eagles' 39.

Davidson broke out of the pocket and scampered 34-yards to the Walsh five. Two plays later he went over from three yards out to give the Buffaloes a 14-6 lead with 54 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Defensive end Jordan Jones had a big quarterback sack to stop one Caliche drive.

After that stop, the Eagles took over on their own 29 with Sharpe and Stafford taking turns gaining huge chunks of yardage behind the Walsh offensive front.

In nine plays, all on the ground, the Eagles tied it at 14-14 on a three-yard TD run by Sharpe. Sharpe buried a Buffalo defender on his way in for the two-point conversion.

After stopping Caliche, Walsh took over on its own 19 with just more than three minutes left in the first half.

Using the pass and run and a 21-yard burst by Stafford around the left end, the Eagles moved to the Caliche nine-yard with just seconds remaining. After an incomplete pass, Sharpe was stopped at the three-yard as the half time horn went off.

The two teams again traded fumbles to open the second half.

On the second possession for Walsh, the Eagles started from the Caliche 33-yard line courtesy of a fumbled recovered by Cristian Alvarez.

The Eagles pounded their way down to the one-yard line. Stafford then leaped into the end zone to give Walsh their first lead of the game. A beautiful one-handed grab by Mundell on the conversion pass from quarterback Clay Seemann gave Walsh a 22-14 lead.

Again, the two teams traded possessions.

After a punt of 51-yards by Stafford, in perhaps the key moment of the game, Jones picked up a a fumble by Davidson and went 33-yards for a TD, giving the Eagles a 28-14 lead.

Walsh then went into self-destruct mode, when a snap sailed over the punter's head for a safety.

Following the free shanked kickoff, Caliche was right back in the game when the Buffaloes scored on tricky halfback pass with 5:34 left in the game. When the conversion run failed, they trailed only 28-22.

Walsh showed heart and got a little luck on its next drive.

The Eagles recovered two of their own fumbles on their way to a 10-play scoring drive. Sharpe hammered in for his second score of the game from nine yards out with just more than a minute remaining to play. Seemann added the two-point conversion for the final 36-22 margin.

"I was really happy until I watched the film, but that is the way it goes," said Walsh head man Ronny Tate. "Our backs need to do a much better job of following their blockers. I was really, really proud of our line. They gave away a lot of poundage and did a great job. Jordan Jones really gave us a shot in the arm when he made the play on the fumble. It changed the whole game I thought."

Walsh won a coin flip and the Eagles (9-1) will host the No. 3 seed Akron Rams in the state quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 10.